The Kano State High Court has upheld the suspension of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as a member of the party.
Presided over by Justice Usman Malam Na’abba, the court affirmed Ganduje’s suspension following an exparte motion filed by Dr. Ibrahim Sa’ad Esq on behalf of two executive members of the APC Ganduje ward in Dawakin-Tofa local government area.
The plaintiffs, identified as assistant secretary Laminu Sani and legal adviser Haladu Gwanjo, were part of the nine ward executives who suspended Ganduje two days prior.
The court order prohibits Ganduje, the immediate past governor of Kano State from presiding over all affairs of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC.
This development comes after the State Working Committee of the APC in Kano initially announced the suspension of the ward party leaders who had suspended Ganduje.
The party’s chairman in Dawakin Tofa Local Government, Inusa Suleiman Dawanau, accused those behind Ganduje’s suspension of engaging in anti-party activities and revealed evidence of their meetings with opposition leaders.
In response to the suspension, the APC sanctioned the individuals for six months and set up a panel to investigate various allegations against them. The party also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to probe those responsible for Ganduje’s purported suspension.
In a statement, the APC denounced the suspension as a “criminal act” perpetrated by individuals affiliated with officials of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), aimed at causing confusion and mischief in Ganduje’s ward. The legitimate Executive Committee of the Ganduje Ward reaffirmed Ganduje’s membership in the party, dismissing the suspension as unlawful.
Meanwhile, the NNPP distanced itself from the crisis within the Kano APC, emphasizing that it had no involvement in the matter.
As the legal battle continues, the political landscape in Kano remains tense, with both sides fiercely contesting the legitimacy of Ganduje’s suspension and its implications for the APC’s leadership structure in the state.